Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Awards $25.5 Million in Grants in the
Second Quarter of 2017,Approves New Foster Youth Strategy

July 17, 2017 12:00 PM Eastern Time

LOS ANGELES--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The board of directors of the Conrad
N. Hilton Foundation announced today that it approved 31 grants
totaling $25.5 million during the second quarter of 2017. The board also
approved a new five-year strategy for the Foster Youth Strategic
Initiative, beginning with grant approvals for Graham-Windham ($720,000)
and the Children’s Data Network at the University of Southern California
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work ($825,000).

“We are confident that, through the great work of our
partners, at the end of this five-year strategy, transition age foster
youth will have better access to the education, skills and opportunities
to lead healthy and productive lives.”

During the first phase of the Hilton Foundation’s Foster Youth Strategic
Initiative (2012-2017), the Foundation invested $53.5 million. With
these investments, the Initiative has partnered with grantees, community
partners, other funders and policy makers to move public child welfare
systems and policies away from a one-size-fits-all approach narrowly
focused on the safety and basic needs of transition age foster youth to
one that recognizes and reflects the unique potential of older youth to
succeed in education, career and life.

The vision for the next phase is for all transition age foster youth in
Los Angeles and New York City to become self-sufficient and thriving
adults. We plan to achieve this vision in three ways:

“We are delighted to announce more than $25.5 million to a diverse group
of organizations, and to approve the next phase of our Foster Youth
Strategic Initiative,” said Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the
Hilton Foundation. “We are confident that, through the great work of our
partners, at the end of this five-year strategy, transition age foster
youth will have better access to the education, skills and opportunities
to lead healthy and productive lives.”

Other notable grants include a $8.2 million grant to PATH
to scale up early childhood development services as part of health
systems in Mozambique, Kenya and Zambia—the largest grant of the
Foundations’ new Young Children Affected by HIV and AIDS Strategic
Initiative approved in November 2016, and a series of 17 grants totaling
$3.78 million to recipients of the Marilyn Hilton Award for Innovation
in Multiple Sclerosis Research.

Following is an overview of all grants awarded in the second quarter of
2017:

Young Children Affected by HIV and AIDS – In addition to the
abovementioned $8.2 million grant to PATH, Kidogo
Early Years will receive $600,000 to replicate a social franchise
daycare model in urban informal settlements in Kenya.

Safe Water –Aquaya
Institute will receive $2.5 million to explore and build sustainable
water quality testing systems in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Uganda. World
Vision was granted $800,000 to support a strategic partnership with IRC
to plan and implement comprehensive water projects in the planned
district-based programs in Ghana, Mali and Niger. Jibu, L3C will also
receive $1 million to make a program related investment into Jibu,
a social franchise providing safe water in Uganda and Mali.

Foster Youth –Graham-Windham
was granted $720,000 to support the Graham Support Lead and Achieve
Model program to improve college and career pathways for foster youth in
New York City. In addition, University
of Southern California will receive $825,000 to support the
Children's Data Network at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social
Work that will link key indicators on child welfare and health,
specifically among older foster youth in Los Angeles.

Homelessness –LA
Voice was awarded $400,000 to align and engage faith leaders across
Los Angeles County to end homelessness and decrease displacement and
housing insecurity.

Catholic Sisters – Sisters
of Mercy of the Americas was granted $840,000 to support programs
and build organizational capacity of the inter-congregational Leadership
Collaborative to prepare young sisters for leadership positions.

Multiple Sclerosis – Seventeen researchers were selected to
receive the prestigious Marilyn
Hilton Award for Innovation in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research. The
award, which is given in two categories – Bridging Award for
Physician-Scientists and the Pilot Innovator Award – totals $3.78
million in grants over a five-year period. The purpose of the award is
to stimulate innovative and potentially paradigm-shifting research on
progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Recipients will study topics ranging
from mechanisms behind myelination and demyelination, to the use of
advanced imaging techniques, and processes behind the causes of
inflammation.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international
business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left
his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The
Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority
areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing
substance use, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting
transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s
support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following
selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually
awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit
organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. In
2016, the Humanitarian Prize was awarded to The Task Force for Global
Health, an international, nonprofit organization that works to improve
health of people most in need, primarily in developing countries. From
its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 billion in
grants, distributing $109 million in the U.S. and around the world in
2016. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.6 billion.
For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

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